Count Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist among the millions who dearly miss hockey and cannot wait for its return.

The King was in New York this past week, and he talked about that empty feeling to the New York Post’s Larry Brooks. Lundqvist’s first year in the NHL was the 2005-06 season, the first after the entire 2004-05 season was called by the league’s last lockout. So the sitting and waiting is uncharted territory for the 30-year-old.

“I miss it so much,” Lundqvist said. “I miss the game. I miss the excitement. I miss the challenge of pushing myself every day. I feed off competing. I feed off the energy.

“I’ve tried to be positive. I have to admit that I never thought we would be out this long. I’ve never gone through anything like this before. The first couple of weeks were weird but then when I realized we might be out for a long time, I started to freak out a little bit. It’s hard to explain.”

“I know the fans are really upset, and they have a right to be. They deserve better. I really mean that. They are so loyal. They spend so much money for tickets and merchandise and to be there to support the team.

“The fans deserve better. The game of hockey deserves better. I can’t even express how much I hope we’re back playing very, very soon."